Method of packing furniture suite for shipping

ABSTRACT

A method of packing a furniture suite for shipment and, particularly international shipment, comprising the steps of forming a recess having a perimeter created by a skirt circumscribing a large table top and nesting several elements within the recess by forming packing material to nest various elements, which packing material is sized to fit snugly within the recess and using the various elements themselves to create a package having minimal size and weight and being of a shape which is readily fitted with other packages in a container or the like.

The present invention relates generally to the packing of items of furniture for shipment and, more particularly, to methods of packing substantial quantities of furniture products in a relatively small space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

For many years it was common to ship furniture items, typically relatively bulky, overland by truck or train. Neither, of course, are able to traverse the oceans, opening the market for container shipping by sea.

With every mode of shipping comes both benefits and problems, and with container shipping the shipper must be particularly conscious of both weight and size of every package since those parameters have a direct bearing on cost, and cost has a direct bearing on saleability.

2. Overview of the Related Art

Efficient economical concepts of packaging is not a recent revelation. In fact, packaging is as old as shipping and in the furniture industry there have been patents issued for various packaging programs, among them Wieting U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,201 which addresses the packaging of tray type tables, by separating legs from table tops in the package.

Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,009 teaches packaging in an unrelated industry for a garage door opener assembly.

Returning to the furniture industry, the more common approach to packaging rests in the protection of the entire assembled piece in a suitable container, illustrative of the approach is Lett III U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,849 for a coffee table; VanderMey U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,929, and Miller et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,318, again for a small table.

Finally, Wycech U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,514 is included although relating more to storage of product than shipping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the packaging of furniture packages in a manner which permits very economical shipping for extended distances such as, e.g., from the Pacific Rim to central or eastern regions of the United States.

More specifically, it is an objective of the present invention to create a packaging method which would permit an entire furniture ensemble can be economically packaged and shipped as a unit. It is a further objective, related to the foregoing, to provide an efficient, shippable package capable of moving an entire salable unit, e.g., a furniture suite, at one time.

A still further objective of the present invention is to devise a package which may be shipped very long distances at a most economical rate.

The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages, will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment is read in concert with the accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a typical living room suite which is capable of being packaged as a single unit in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of the larger table of FIG. 1, inverted with its legs removed;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating the initial step in the packing sequence with the placement of preformed packing material nested within the perimeter of the tabletop;

FIG. 4 is a next step in the packing sequence, in view similar to FIG. 2, with some of the elements of the furniture suite in place in the packing material;

FIG. 5 illustrates the next step in the packing sequence with additional remaining elements of the furniture suite in place;

FIG. 6 is the view of FIG. 5 with upper, preformed packing material overlying the furniture elements;

FIG. 7 represents the FIG. 6 package with additional caps being positioned on the package;

FIG. 8 illustrates the addition of a top layer consisting of smaller table top; and,

FIG. 9 illustrates the package of FIG. 8 being boxed for shipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings and, initially, to FIG. 1, a typical living area suite of furniture is illustrated at 15. As depicted, this suite comprises a relatively large number of recognizable collection of compatible elements, among them, at least one relatively large table 17; at least a pair of smaller end tables 19; a pair of lamps 22, suitable as table lamps; a pair of candle holders 24, preferably ceramic; accessories in the nature of a pair of vases 26, and a rectangular dish 28, also preferably ceramic. The entire suite is color and style coordinated so as to eliminate mismatching, which sometimes occurs when pieces are chosen individually.

As an initial step in the packing process, the accomplishment of the objectives of the invention is to break down, or reduce, those elements of the suite that have separable parts that are capable of being separated, in order to facilitate their being efficiently packed. To this end, the legs 31 of the table 17 and the legs 33 of the tables 19 are removed. Similarly, the electricals [not illustrated in FIG. 1] are removed from the lamps, consisting of the bulb socket, switch and the electrical cord. The lamp shades 35 are of a type which permits them to be collapsed and they are also collapsed and removed.

Having thus reduced the suite 15 to its various severable parts of the elements, packing of the suite can begin.

The large table top 37, as previously noted, is inverted and placed on a piece of packing material 39. While various packing materials are available, the preferred material for this package is Styrofoam®. A suitable packing material must be relatively rigid, energy absorbing, light weight and sufficiently malleable to be molded into various shapes in order to accommodate the various configurations of the elements of the suite 15. It is because of these characteristics that Styrofoam® is particularly suitable to the task.

In furtherance of the objectives of the invention and, with reference to FIG. 3, a block of packing material 42 is provided and is formed with cavities 44 for receipt of the bases 46. The electrical components of each lamp, including the socket for the bulb, switch and cord (not shown in FIG. 1) are removed and laid on the surface of the block of packing material 42 between the lamp bases.

The block of packing material 42 is also provided with a cavity 47 for receipt of the rectangular dish.

It should be noted that the large table top 37 is provided with depending skirts 48, which create a perimeter, or border, defining a recess. The block of packing material 42 is shaped to fit within the perimeter created by the skirts 48 in snug relation so that there is no movement of the block of packing material during the shipping process. In a similar fashion, a smaller block 51 is provided and a cavity 53 is formed therein, and one of the candle stick holders is received in the cavity.

Finally, the block of packing material 55 is provided and sized to be fitted snugly between one end of the block 51 and the adjacent skirt 48, where it abuts the block of packing material 42. The block of packing material 55 is formed with cavities 57, which are expressly designed to receive the accessories 26.

Having thus positioned the blocks of packing material 42, 51 and 55 within the confines of the skirt 48 of the table top 37, the next step in the process is to place the various elements of the suite 15, namely the lamp bases, candle stick holders and accessories, into their respective cavities formed in the block of packing material.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be noted that an open area 59 is created bordering the blocks 51 and 55 and confined by the skirt 48. Referring to FIG. 4, the surface of the legs of the small table 33 are first individually wrapped in a protective envelope 62, to protect the finish on the surface thereof, and then placed side by side in the open space 59, previously referenced.

To the extent that additional unused spaces in the open area 59 still exists, a block of packing material 64 may be used to fill that space and assure that there will be no movement within the package during the shipping process.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it will be seen that the package surrounding the elements of the suite 15 begins to develop. First, a series of blocks of packing material 66 are provided to cover the various elements already placed in the package. Lamp shades 35 are then positioned over the legs 33 and several pillars 68 are placed at the corners and at intermediate positions along the table top.

Moving to FIG. 7, the small table tops 71 are nested on the pillars 68 and a cover of packing material 73 to thereby complete the inner package containing the suite 15. When the entire suite is packaged as described, the inner package is placed in a carton 75 ready for shipment.

Having now described, in considerable detail, an improved method of packing an entire furniture suite as a saleable unit, it is appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to think of variations on the elements described. For example, table tops may be oval or even round and to the extent voids are created, they may be filled in with appropriately shaped packing material. Such variations are within the contemplation of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims, wherein: 

1. A method of packaging an entire furniture suite within a single package in which said furniture suite's several elements include, at least one large table, said table having a separable top comprising the steps of: reducing each separable element of the furniture suite into their various individual parts; inverting the large table top and placing it on a rectangle of packing material, said packing material being somewhat larger than the said top; forming blocks of packing material dimensioned to fit on said table top and creating cavities in said packing material to receive various elements of said furniture suite; placing the various elements of said furniture suite in said cavities; placing a rectangular piece of packing material over the top of said elements; and, placing the package in a carton for shipping.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a skirt is provided on said large table top, said skirt depending from said skirt, defining the perimeter of a recess when said large table top is inserted.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 2, forming blocks of packing material, said blocks of packing material being sized to be fitted within said recess defined by said skirt.
 4. The method as set forth in claim 3, forming cavities in said blocks of packing material, said cavities being shaped to permit the nesting of various of said elements of said furniture suite there within.
 5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein wrapping said various parts of said separable elements in protective material to thereby preserve the surfaces of said various parts.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 2, providing a series of pillars about the perimeter of said large table top, resting on the underside of said large table top.
 7. The method as set forth in claim 6, additionally providing elements in the nature of at least two small tables and placing said small table tops on said pillars.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 3, providing several blocks of packing material, said blocks being formed with cavities therein, said blocks being fitted over said lower blocks so as to encase the various elements nested therein.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said lamp shades being collapsed and wrapped in protective material and placed within said recess.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 2, providing a packing sheet rested on said smaller table tops; and placing the package in a protective carton for shipping. 